Method and apparatus for making castings



Feb. 11, 1'958 R. JjHlNEs METHOD AND APPARATUS FOYRrMAKING.` CASTINGS Filed Aug. 11, 1955 I Feb. 11, 1958 R; J. HINES 2,822,590

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VMAKING CASTINGS Filed Aug. 11, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

lVIETI-IOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CASTINGS Russell J. Hines, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor to The Hines Flask Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 11, 1955, Serial No. 527,805 Claims. (Cl. 22-110) This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for making sand molds for castings and more particularly relates to an improved method and apparatus for grouping a plurality of molds together to enable their pouring at substantially one operation.

The groupingof a plurality of sand molds together to enable their pouring at one operation will behereinafter referred to -as stack molding and envisions the stacking of molds one on top of another vertically in such a` manner that the various pouringrsprues of the stacked molds register witheach other for simultaneous casting of a great many articles of the desired form. Preferably, the sand molds are individually formed in a separable foundry ask which` is hinged at one corner and separable at another to permit removal of the flask from the corresponding sand mold.

A` principalV object of this invention relates to the simplification of stack molding without decreasing the elliciency or the quality ofthercastings.

A further objectof the invention relates to an arrangement for insuringV proper alignment and registration of the molds during stacking.

Briefly, in accordance with this invention, each separable foundry flask is provided with apertured lugs at opposite ends forming sockets for receiving aligning pins which assist in proper registration of the molds during stacking. The flasks are filled with sand under pressure-V against suitable patterns and the stackis started by placing the completed mold section onto a suitable` base and then positioning vertical guide pinsin the guide sockets. The vertical guide pins are preferably slotted and are fixed in position by inserting cross pins through them and then the next mold section islowered onto the basetmold section and guided into registration therewith by sliding its apertured lugs along the vertically extending guide pins in the lower mold flask. Thereafter, the cross pins are removed and the slotted guide pins are positioned upwardly through the vertical guide sockets of the surmounting mold flask into position for receiving another surmounting mold section, while at the same time releasing the lower mold ask. The lower ask is then separated from its mold and another mold flask is lowered along the guide pins onto the stack; this operation being repeated as often as necessary to build up a stack of molds of the desired number. Thereafter, the stacked molds may be poured in one operation to form a plurality of castings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective View of the top mold sections in a stack with guide pins engaging both in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of themold sections of Fig. l with the guide pinsV displaced vertically out of engagement with the lower mold flask; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the mold sections in Fig. 2 illustrating separation of the bottom ask from its mold.

Although the present invention is adapted for making afsingle rnold cavity byA superimposing a cope section over a drag section, it is primarilyradapted for stack molding wherein any desired number of mold sections may be superimposed upon eachv other, each.section beingpro-AV ice vided with a cope cavity on one side and a drag cavity on ,theopposite side so that the p air of sectional cavities can be made to register to form a complete mold cavity into which the `molten metal is to be poured. Although not shown in detail, the various pouring sprues of the stackedmold sections are also made to register with one another and suitable takeoff channels leadingfrom the pouring passage to the various cavity patterns in the stacked mold are also provided Ain accordance with conventional foundry practice.

As shown in the drawings, the foundry flask in which the molds are formed is preferably of the separable type having two rigidly interconnectedwall halves 10 and 11 which are hinged together at one corner 12and which carry a suitable lclamp or latch 13 at the other separable corner for interlocking the two flask halves together to form an enclosed sand boundary.

Each sepafablefoundry flaskis also provided with outwardlyvextending,Unshaped lugs 15 on opposite end ywalls, and `eacliliighas vertically aligned apertures 16 and 17 through-its; leg portionswhich form sockets for receiving guide., pinsfZl)r in a manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

The sand fmoldyisgformed byplacing the emptyflask on a pattern p lateyhaying a cope forming portion and the askis then lled;with sand in the conventional manner, ex-cept that-,angendlessbandgZS is inserted into the ask andjis supportedI on the -sand with a portion of thebandprojecting abovefthetop of the flask. Thereafter, additionalsand may be introduced until the band is substantially filled whereupon a pressh'eadwith a pattern plate is moved over the ask to squeeze the sand and form the mold in a manner which is described in greater detailin my co-pending application, Serial Number 491,879, filed on March 3, l955'and entitled Method and Apparatus of Making Molds for Casting. As a result of this operation, a smooth marginal surface is formed around the periphery of the cavity to serve as a supportfor the next superimposed mold section.

After a mold section A is formed,` it is placed upon a suitable base board or on top of a partially formed stack of mold sections as illustrated in the drawings. Thereafter, guide pins 20, which are longitudinally slotted from one extremity throughout the,v greater portion of their length :to form outwardly sprung finger portions, are inserted through the guide sockets formed by the aper tures 16,and-17 in each ofthe lugs on `opposite ends of the flask. Each` guide pin20 is provided with an aperture 26 disposed transversely through the pin at the base of the slot toreceive across pinl 27 which serves to fix the guide pins 20 in their respectivey sockets with their slotted extremities extending beyond the upper edges of the supporting flask a distance sufficient to engage the guide sockets in another flask to be superimposed onthe lower mold section. The outwardly sprung slotted extremities of the pins provide a positive engagement with the guide sockets of the upper ask and assure proper alignment.

Thereafter, another mold section B is lowered onto the lower mold section A and guided into registration therewith by sliding its apertured lugs alongV the vertically extending slotted extremities of the guide pins 20 carried by the lower mold section. The-cross pins 27 are thenremovedv and the guidepinsl() 'are easily slid vertically through the guide apertures in the upper mold section'until they clear the guide sockets ofil the lower mold ask and occupy the same relative position in the guide sockets fof the upper ask as they formerly did in the; lower flask.v Once the guide pins/20 are positioned in the upper flask, the cross pins 27 are again 'insertedto themin thatxposition and the lower ask is.;,separated and'rernoved from its mold, after whichitlmay be refilled with sand and returned to a higher position in the stack. This operation may be repeated as often as desired to progressively build a stack of mold sections for the simultaneous pouring ofa plurality ofA castings.

In this manner a plurality of separable foundry asks may have molds formed therein and then be individually stacked by using the guide pins to insure proper registration in the manner hereinbefore described, and an important feature of this invention resides in the ability to progressively build a stack of molds stepby step by removing the pins from a lower ask to the next adjacent surmounting flask and then removing the lower liask for refilling and return to the stack. A stack of mold sections are thus grouped together for simultaneous pouring in one operation in a highly eicient and simplilied manner. At the same time, the use of the guide pins and sockets in the step by step operation while progressively building the stack insures proper registration and alignment of the mold sections without the necessity for complex and cumbersome apparatus.

l have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of this invention, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of stacking a plurality of separable tlasks each containing a sand mold and each having apertured means forming guide sockets at opposite ends for receiving vertical guides and wherein each of said means on corresponding ends of said asks are in generally vertically spaced relationship, comprising the steps of placing one of the llasks with its mold on a suitable base, mounting generally vertically extending guides in the guide socket at each end of the llask so that said guides project upwardly above the upper level of the tlask, securing the vertical guides against downward movement by inserting a cross pin through a complementary opening in each of said guides adjacent the top of the associated of said means, aligning the guide sockets of another similar ask with the corresponding end guides of said rst-mentioned ask in superimposed relationship to the latter and lowert ing such other ask along the vertical guides on the lower flask, removing the cross pin from each of said vertical guides, separating the guides from the lower tiask by moving them upwardly through the guide sockets of the upper tiask to clear the guide sockets of the lower flask and into the same relative position on the upper tlask, reinserting the cross pins through the vertical guides to secure the guides against downward movement from their new location in the upper flask, and thereafter separating and removing the lower ask from its mold and repeating the foregoing operations progressively until a desired number of sand mold sections are stacked in surmounting relationship with their ,mold cavities aligned and registered for simultaneous pouring. Y t t 2. A foundry tiask comprising, the combination of a separable boundary wall adapted to form a sand mold enclosure having spaced end walls, an outwardly projecting portion on opposite end walls, each of said portions being generally vertically spaced from the plane of the bottom of the tiask and having a generally vertically disposed through aperture forming a guide socket, an elongated guide pin adapted to be slideably inserted in each socket and being movable upwardly with respect thereto and out of assembled relationship therewith, each pin having a transverse opening through its lower portion and a cross pin removably coacting in said opening between the guide pin and the top of its associated socket to hold the latter pin with its free end extending upwardly beyond the top of the tiask, said cross pin when in operative position engaging the top of the respective one of said portions to restrain downward axial movement of the guide pin through the socket, the free end of each guide pin being adapted to engage a corresponding socket on a surmounting tiask to guide such surmounting ask into superimposed registered relationship with the firstmentioned ask.

3. In a foundry ask in accordance with claim 2, wherein each of the guide pins is slotted generally axially throughout the greater portion of its extent to form generally outwardly spring finger sections, said linger sections insuring positive engagement with the associated guide socketof the surmounted ask to assure proper alignment of the latter with the lower flask.

4. In a separable foundry flask for producing a mold and having spaced end and side walls arranged to form a closed mold boundary hinged at one corner and separable at another corner, an outwardly extending lug on each end wall, the top and bottom surfaces of said lug being disposed respectively generally below and above the associated plane of the top and bottom of the ask, each lug having a substantially vertically disposed through aperture, a sleeve bushing in each aperture forming a guide socket on each lug, an elongated guide pin extending into each socket and having an integral base portion with a transverse opening extending therethrough and an upwardly projecting free end portion extending above the top of the flask, said pins being movable upwardly out of assembled relationship with the associated of said sockets, a cross pin removably inserted through said opening after the guide pin is seated in its socket with said cross pin being disposed above the socket and generally below the top of the mold, said cross pin being operable to restrain downward axial movement of the guide pin to thereby hold the latter with its free end extending upwardly beyond the top of the lask whereby the free end of each pin is engageable with a complementary socket in a similar surmounting flask to guide such surmounting flask into superimposed registered relationship with said rst mentioned flasks, after which said guide pins are movable axially upwardly out of supported relationship with the lugs and sockets of said first mentioned flask and into supported relationship with the lugs and sockets of the superimposed ask.

5. The combination of a pair of mold asks adapted to be assembled in multiple stacked relationship to form a complete mold cavity therebetween, each ask having walls adapted to be separable interconnected to form a closed mold boundary, each ask also having at opposite ends a vertically disposed guide socket adapted to be aligned in vertically spaced relationship with the sockets of similiar flasks when the flasks are stacked on top of one another, an elongated guide pin having a base portion adapted to be inserted in each guide socket of the Y lower mold tiask in the stack with a free extremity extending upwardly beyond the top of said lower ilask and into the corresponding guide socket of the upper mold Y liask, thereby to establish and maintain registration between theasks and between their mold cavities, each pin having a transverse opening in tsbase portion and a removable cross pin coacting in said opening with the upper end of the associated socket in generally vertically Y spaced relationship to the confronting socket on the upper mold asks on the stack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,120,759 Swift Dec. 15, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS 308,439 Great Britain s Mar. 28, 1929 

